Why Our Staff has Chosen Chicago Appleseed
Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday, the social media celebration of charitable giving. We’d like to take a moment to share with you why our staff attorneys has chosen to work with Chicago Appleseed and thank you for supporting their advocacy.
Ali Abid, Staff Attorney and Criminal Justice Policy Analyst:
Over the course of my legal education I felt more and more that it was my responsibility to help address some of the great injustices carried out due dysfunction in our court system, namely the phenomenon of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of color and the poor. I chose the field of public interest because I wanted to work on the most urgent issues of our time and to help improve the lives of those most vulnerable individuals and communities. At Appleseed I have been able to work directly with both government agencies as well as community groups in ways that have measurably and visibly improved several policies and practices.
Elizabeth Monkus, Staff Attorney and Project Manager:
My legal education at Georgetown University emphasized public service, and so I believe that I am obligated to use the education, skills, and gifts that I have, to the best that I can, in the interest of the community where I live. I remember, on more than one occasion, talking to my mentor in law school about why I wanted to study law and how it echoed the motto on the wall of the law library: Law is but the means, justice is the end. Because my education emphasized advocacy which puts the law to a positive social purpose, I am truly grateful to work at Chicago Appleseed with its focus on systemic reform.
Sharlyn Grace, Criminal Justice Policy Fellow:
Before I went to law school, I worked with young people in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Seeing the impact of the criminal legal system on the young folks I taught and their families (and really, entire communities) was my primary motivation for going to law school. I’ve been interested in criminal justice reform as a primary site for racial and economic justice struggles for the last 7 years, but only since joining Appleseed have I had been optimistic that the courts are capable of making needed changes. Chicago Appleseed is bringing together both justice system professionals and impacted communities to facilitate meaningful and systemic change in our courts. I am proud to work with Appleseed because we approach this difficult and nuanced work with integrity and courage.
You can support our work with an online donation or sending a donation to Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, 750 N Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60611.